DRINK CRAZE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 91, 30 March 1911, Page 2

DRINK CRAZE.

AGE LIMIT.

At what age is the drink passion most likely to overcome a man or woman ? At what age may the dangen of such a fate be passed? The answers are found in a bulky Blue Book dealing with police statistics just issued. Between the ages of 30 and 40 the largest number of habitual drunkards were received into inebriate reformatories —viz., 96—and between 40 and 50 the number fell to 67. But it must be borne in mind that these figures deal with the age on reception, and, in view of the reluctance of magistrates to commit, and the fact that several convictions must take place before the magis-

trate has the power to commit, it is certain that each inmate must have been an habitual drunkard for many years before entering a home. It would seem, therefore, that very few persons fall a victim to the drink habit after the age of, say 45, and practically none after 50. The ages at which* the danger of falling a vic-

tim to the drink habit is at its great- ’ est seem to lie between 25 and 35. Crime figures were high, in 1909, and especially noticeable was the increase in burglarv and house and shop breaking. Thus in 1909 there were i 12.075 such cases,., against 11,619 m 1908, 10,584 in 1907, and only 9441 in 1906. It was estimated that there were only 4064 habitual criminals at targe in April, 1909, against 4255 the previous year and 4197 in 1907, though, it is pointed out, 1909 was a